The Weaker Sex

Although the majority of this article deals with scientific research, I found myself most interested in what men had to say for themselves on the subject of depression. There is the overall consensus right now that women are more depressed than men and certainly, more women are diagnosed and treated for depression than men but this article points out the differences in gender behavior that could distort this statistic. Men and boys are generally expected to be tougher as all of us have seen in friends and family members but in this last weekend I have seen this firsthand.
A very close friend's parents passed away this last week and having been staying with the family for several days and now doing this reading, I can see how the gender differences are in effect. The family has four children: two boys and two girls. There is a girl and a boy over the age of 20 and in college and a boy and a girl still in high school. From what I have seen, the boys have been looked to as the ones to stay strong and not cry. The girls have cried openly and reached out for support, mostly support from their brothers, boyfriends or close male friends. I think this directly ties into the idea that men have as many or possibly more emotional problems but they are not expected or encouraged to show them, as the article states. Women are more able to express their need for help when in distress than men, however when the men are experiencing the same distress they are more likely to close off and handle it on their own.